The invention relates to a slide switch comprising fixed contacts arranged inside a switch housing, and a slider which is capable of being displaced inside the housing, and is provided with cams by which a movable, resilient contact bridge which, with its center part, is supported on a central fixed contact, can be turned in such a way that it, with one end, comes into an electrical contact with a lateral fixed contact.
Various types of embodiments of slide switches are already known in which the slider with its cams as moulded thereto, is capable of tilting a contact bridge towards either the one or the other side, in order thus to make or break electrical contacts with the fixed contacts as arranged inside the housing. Such types of slide switches are disclosed, for example, in the (Applicant's earlier) German Patent No. 1,158,151, as well as in DE-OS No. 1,640,754, DE-OS No. 2,121,421, DE-OS No. 2,162,852, and in (Applicant's earlier) DE-AS No. 2,409,604.
Relative thereto, the tiltable contact bridge may be designed either as a rigid component part which, by the action of a spring, is pressed into its operative position, or as a self-elastic part. In any case, the contact bridge is tilted by the slider, with it turning about a fixed contact designed as a rocker bearing. Either the one or the other end of the contact bridge, during the tilting operation, comes in touch with a further fixed contact. In this way there is established the electrical connection between the central fixed contact design as the rocker bearing, and one of the outer fixed contacts.
The conventional type of embodiment suffers from various drawbacks which are due to the rocker bearing on the central fixed contact. Owing to the mechanical stressing of the rocker bearing during each switching operation, the phenomena of wearing appear at this bearing, so that in the course of time an exact guidance of the contact bridge in the bearing is no longer safe-guarded. In the extreme case, the contact bridge may even become detached from its bearing. The rocker bearing is also of disadvantage insofar as the transfer resistance between the central fixed contact and the contact bridge varies permanently, and because the mechanical phenomena of wear may even cause a loose contact. Owing to the abrasion of the cam of the slider, dust particles are likely to enter the rocker bearing which likewise have a negative influence on the contact making.
Finally, the conventional slide switches of the aforementioned type tend to show bouncing phenomena, because owing to the sudden tilting of the contact bridge, the free end thereof is caused to oscillate, with the oscillations being transferred to the end resting on the fixed contact at the extreme end.
It is the object of the present invention to make slide switches of the type mentioned hereinbefore less susceptible to wear, more chatter-proof and more reliable.
This object is achieved by taking the measures set forth in the appended claims. Advantageous further embodiments of the invention are set forth in the subclaims.